word up
An AAVE and hip-hop expression used in multiple related senses: to signal agreement or approval, to call for attention ('listen up'), or to ask what is happening ('what's the word?').
Etymology timeline
Born ~1986 · 1 year of recorded useSeen in the wild
Definitions
An AAVE and hip-hop expression used in multiple related senses: to signal agreement or approval, to call for attention ('listen up'), or to ask what is happening ('what's the word?'). The phrase was popularized in 1980s hip-hop culture and appeared in the 1986 Cameo hit song of the same name. It carries an authentic mid-80s hip-hop energy and is now also used nostalgically.
Word up, that track was exactly what the set needed right there.
Comments
Word up is a versatile piece of American hip-hop and street slang that emerged in the 1980s. It functions as a greeting ('what's up?'), a call for attention ('listen up!'), or an expression of agreement and affirmation ('exactly, I agree'). The agreement sense is the most enduring — 'word up' or just 'word' became a standard way of signalling that you cosign what someone just said. The phrase was immortalised in the 1986 Cameo song 'Word Up!' and spread from hip-hop culture into broader American slang. Register is informal and culturally rooted.
She said rent was getting out of hand in the city, and I had to say word up — it's genuinely unaffordable now.
"word up" means: Word up is a versatile piece of American hip-hop and street slang that emerged in the 1980s. It functions as a greeting ('what's up?'), a ca.... This is informal slang, common in casual speech, texting and social media, but not appropriate for school work, applications or professional settings. There is no real cause for concern in itself; it is everyday peer vocabulary. If your child uses it, a light comment about audience and register is usually enough — no need to escalate. Context, more than the word, tells you whether to follow up.
"word up" means: Word up is a versatile piece of American hip-hop and street slang that emerged in the 1980s. It functions as a greeting ('what's up?'), a ca.... Register: informal slang, fine in casual conversation, texting and social media but not in academic essays, business writing or formal speech. Note the regional or dialect label (American) — usage may sound odd outside that variety. A common non-native mistake is to use the word in the wrong register, or to assume one fixed meaning when it is actually polysemous; always check the surrounding register and the audience before producing it yourself. In formal writing, prefer a neutral synonym or a short descriptive phrase, and use
Comments
Listen up; pay attention!.
Comments
What's up?; what's happening?; what's the word?.
Comments
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